Silver Calculator

Quick Answer

Last updated: 10 November 2026 ·How we calculate this: weight × fineness ÷ 31.1035 × spot price

How This Silver Calculator Works

Enter the weight of your silver, choose the unit and purity, and type in today’s silver spot price per troy ounce. The calculator finds how much pure silver the item contains and what that silver is worth at the spot price, its melt value. Add the payout a dealer offers to see the cash you might get.

How to Use the Silver Calculator

1. Weigh your silver and enter the weight.
2. Choose the weight unit, such as grams or troy ounces.
3. Choose the purity from the item’s marks.
4. Enter today’s silver spot price and, optionally, the dealer payout.
5. Press Calculate and read the melt value and pure silver content.

Silver Value Formulas

• Pure silver (g): weight (g) × fineness ÷ 1,000
• Troy ounces of silver: pure silver (g) ÷ 31.1034768
• Melt value: troy ounces of silver × spot price
• Units: 1 troy ounce = 20 pennyweights = 31.1035 g; 1 avoirdupois ounce = 28.3495 g

Under the FTC Jewelry Guides, items may be called sterling or solid silver only if they are at least 925/1,000 pure, and coin silver only if they are at least 900/1,000 pure.

Key Terms

• Spot price: the current market price of one troy ounce of pure silver.
• Troy ounce: 31.1035 g, the unit used to price precious metals.
• Fineness: silver content in parts per thousand, such as 925.
• Melt value: the value of the pure silver in an item at the spot price.
• Silver plate: a thin layer of silver over a base metal, marked EP or EPNS.

Worked Example

You have 250 pennyweights of coin silver flatware, and silver is $32.40 per troy ounce.

• Weight in grams = 250 × 1.55517 = 388.79 g
• Pure silver = 388.79 × 0.900 = 349.91 g = 11.2500 troy oz
• Melt value = 11.2500 × $32.40 = $364.50

Real-Life Examples

• Sterling flatware: 100 g of sterling holds 2.9739 troy oz of silver.
• Bullion: 10 troy oz of .999 silver is worth $299.70 at $30 an ounce.
• Selling scrap: compare a dealer’s offer with the melt value before you sell.
• Old coins: weigh pre-1965 dimes, quarters and halves and choose coin silver (.900).

Sterling Silver vs Fine Silver

• Fine silver (.999) is almost pure. It is soft and used for bullion bars and coins.
• Sterling (.925) adds 7.5% copper for strength and is used for jewelry and flatware.
• Value: sterling is worth 92.5% of the same weight of fine silver at melt.

Silver Purity Grades

Coin silver marks follow the FTC Jewelry Guides; wartime nickels and 1965 to 1970 halves are listed by their silver share.

What Affects What You Get for Silver

The spot price is the market price for large bars of pure silver and changes through the day. Dealers pay less than melt value for scrap because they must refine it, often 60 to 90% of melt depending on the amount and form. Bullion coins and bars in good condition can sell near or above spot, while sterling flatware and jewelry are usually bought as scrap.

Weigh only the silver. Candlesticks and some hollowware have weighted bases filled with pitch or cement, and knives often have stainless steel blades and filled handles, which add weight but no silver. Silver-plated items, marked EP, EPNS or plate, have only a very thin silver layer and little melt value. Look for marks such as 925, Sterling or 800 to identify the purity.

Some old silver is worth more than its melt value to collectors, such as rare coins or antique pieces by known makers, so check before selling those for scrap.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using kitchen ounces as troy ounces. A troy ounce is about 10% heavier.
• Weighing weighted or filled items. Bases and knife handles add non-silver weight.
• Treating plate as sterling. Silver-plated items have very little silver.
• Expecting full melt value from a buyer. Dealers usually pay a percentage.
• Melting collectible coins. Rare dates can be worth far more than their silver.

Frequently Asked Questions

References & Sources